CONTEXT: Age at sexual debut, age at first marriage or first union and age at first birth are among the most widely used indicators of health and well-being for female adolescents. However, the accuracy of estimates for these indicators, particularly for younger adolescents, is poorly understood. METHODS: For each of nine countries in Africa and Latin America, Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from two surveys conducted five years apart were used to examine women’s reports of age at sexual debut, marriage or first union, and first birth. …

This guide is the result of a series of workshops conducted in 2009 and 2010 by young people in Romania, India, Mexico and Canada. During these workshops, the authors identified gaps in the information young people have regarding sexual health and drug use. They also identified the best ways to talk about drug use and sexual health among young peers. This guide provides information, practical activities, and resources to facilitate youth-led peer trainings. …

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Sub- Regional Office for the Caribbean/Barbados is working to strengthen the evidence base on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights in four countries: Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The research presented in this document aims to generate new knowledge and provide the baseline data to inform the development of programmes to support adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights. …

This toolkit was developed by the International Youth Foundation in order to provide resources for program managers, educators, youth leaders and advocates to incorporate Reproductive Health into programs targeting youth. The toolkit includes a framework, curricula and practical strategies for integrating reproductive health into youth development programming.

Rights. Respect. Responsibility.® is Advocates for Youth’s national, long-term campaign giving voice to a new vision of adolescent sexual health. These core values underpin Advocates’ vision of a society where adolescents are valued, public health policy is driven by scientific research, and sexuality is viewed as a normal and healthy part of being human, of being a teen, of being alive.

This research aimed to establish the prevalence and factors associated with the pattern of risky behavior for reproductive and sexual health (PRBRSH) among secondary education students in Santa Marta, Colombia. A cross-sectional study was done. The PRBRSH was defined as having had two or more out of four possible risky sexual practices across the lifetime. Logistic regression was calculated to control for confounding variables. In total, 804 students reported lifetime sexual intercourse. PRBRSH was reported by 36.1% of the sample. …

Reproductive health education relates directly to six of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, including that of combating HIV/AIDS. The need for high-impact adolescent sexual and preoductive health care programs has become a primary concern for global health organizations. Regarding HIV/AIDS prevalence, Panama is at a critical point in which the situation can either drastically improve or deteriorate depending on how it is addressed. …

The authors analyzed the reasons behind first sex, cases of regret, and the association between reasons and regret. They provided a questionnaire to 8,495 high school students ages 14–18 years residing in the Philippines, El Salvador, and Peru. Sexually active participants were asked what circumstances led them to become involved in their first sexual relationship. They also were asked whether they regretted having already had sexual relationships. …

Despite high levels of sexual activity and risk behaviors among Jamaican youth, few population-based studies have examined their prevalence or correlates. The prevalence of three sexual risk behaviors was assessed using data from the 2008-2009 Jamaican Reproductive Health Survey on a subsample of adolescents aged 15-19 who neither were in a union nor had a child. Factors associated with the risk behaviors were examined separately for females and males, using bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. …

There is an urgent need for the global community to act on the preceding principles and recommendations. Currently comprising more than 1.5 billion people, young adults, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as those individuals aged 10 to 24, face considerable threats to their reproductive health. …

This paper reviews and describes research practices and program interventions addressing the sexual and reproductive health of very young adolescents (VYA) and identifies promising program components and research/evaluation practices. The paper is not exhaustive but serves as a tool for further discussion of what is needed in VYA programming and research

The 2008 national Survey of Demography and Reproductive and Sexual Health, ENDSSR-2008, was conducted by the Paraguayan Center of Population Studies (CEPEP), with the cooperation of the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and with the technical assistance of the Division of Reproductive Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia USA. …

Men are changing. Case study evidence on work with men and boys to promote gender equality and positive masculinities is a document that aims to strengthen and broaden the evidence base on working with men and boys. It describes and analyzes 12 programmes from around the world that sought to alter the attitudes and behaviours of men in relation to sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, violence and relationships. …